News of NetDragon’s acquisi- tion of Edmodo could prompt change throughout the edu- cation market

The direct channel to the industry

AVIXA / PMA study shows incremental growth in displays

During the next three years, buyers of display products (di- rect-view and projection) antic- ipate 20-percent growth in the number of displays per location - even as replacement cycles grow longer due to more durable technology. A new report from AVIXA and PMA Research shows that, while commercial-display purchases are shifting toward re- placement-driven requirements, there is still a healthy percentage of incremental volume. For the first stage of the study, key representatives were iden- tified in businesses around the world in three regions: Europe, Asia, and North America. The subjects primarily serve in man- agement roles with responsibil- ity for approving major display projects, and they completed an online survey. The second stage was a program of open-ended interviews with North American buyers involved in large display projects.

The report revealed that com- mercial buyers anticipated that- nearly half of all display purchas- es in the next 12 months will be for new locations, adding to their overall inventory. However, the

Barco has launched a new tiled LCD video wall to join its UniSee, introduced last year. The Over- View KVD5521B is a price-com- petitive, tiled LCD system for video wall applications. Com- patible with any VESA mounting structure, it presents some of the benefits recently introduced in the award-winning UniSee plat- form. These include a modular structure for easy maintenance, noiseless operation,

automatic colour and brightness calibration,

global trend is toward reduced spending on large displays in 2018, even while the number of units is expected to hold steady or grow, as buyers continue to an- ticipate falling prices. &#34;The results of this new display market report are consistent with trends shown in AVIXA&#39;s Indus- try Outlook and Trends Analysis (IOTA) report, which indicate an

inflection point within the dis- play segment,&#34; says Sean Wargo, SeniorDirector of Market Intelli- gence at AVIXA. &#34;New technol- ogies and applications for large- screen displays are disrupting the market as buyers evaluate options. Overall, display revenues are expected to soften in 2018 before rebounding in 2019 and beyond.&#34;

Large-display projects: How buying decisions are made

• Worldwide, about half of all participants purchased their large-screen

display from a

professional AV or IT dealer or integrator. In Europe and Asia, the figure was well over 50 percent. In North Ameri- ca, only 33 percent used a professional AV or IT source. • Respondents cited image quality and better resolution as the top reasons for choos- ing large flat panels over pro- jectors. The top reason for choosing projectors was ease of use.

• Direct-view LED is starting to gain attention in the minds of large-screen display buyers. • Customers tend to focus ei- ther on features or brand when making product-selection decisions. Learning which is more important to a customer can successfully drive sales. The report is available for pur- chase at www.avixa.org/mar- ketintel. The purchase price for non-members is $1,999, with discounted rates AVIXA members.

for

Konftel launches video conferencing in the UK

Konftel launched a new range of collaboration solutions with au- dio and video endpoints at the Exertis PLUG-IN partner event at Silverstone last month. The solutions will also be on show at UC Expo at Excel on May 16th and 17th. “After 30 years of en- abling millions of distance meet- ings with our award-winning conference phones, we are now

connection to a PC or Mac. “Customers first, is more than just words at Konftel, it&#39;s the way we always have been evolv- ing,” states Tommy Edlund, di- rector of Global Sales. “That&#39;s why we now are offering has- sle-free Konftel Collaboration solutions that are based on the meeting attendees core needs. In that way it&#39;s easy to choose

Sony launches Smart Workplace solutions

Sony has formally announced a new suite of solutions as part of its flagship ‘TEOS’ offering. En- hanced features enable organ- isations to move towards smart workplaces by allowing custom- ers to control AV devices from their own smartphones, use tab- lets to book meeting rooms and create a virtual receptionist. This will be enhanced with the launch of TEOS Connect that will enable intuitive content sharing for all users through instant wireless mirroring.

Sony Professional Solutions Europe has worked with custom- ers and partners to develop a new range of solutions for corporate environments. TEOS Manage and TEOS Connect were designed to transform workspaces to create an environment in which working is simplified for employees and visitors, so that collaboration is seamless, and facilities manage- ment is optimised.

Konftel aims “to offer best-value-for-money when companies all over the world look for endpoints to their cloud-based collabora- tion tools.”

Barco adds to LCD wall with budget-friendly model

and the option of operating the power supply remotely. The OverView KVD5521B is an

improved and optimized version of Barco&#39;s 55&#34; LCD video wall (KVD5521). The complete video wall is said to produce a perfect- ly balanced image at all times, thanks to Sense X − Barco’s auto- matic, continuous and real-time colour and brightness calibration system. The absence of cooling fans not only minimizes noise, but also means that no moving parts are used (which are suscep- tible to wear and have a limited lifetime).

adding conference cameras into our acclaimed portfolio”, says Peter Renkel, CEO at Konftel. “It&#39;s about time, you might say, but we firmly believe in doing things properly”, says Renkel, “and that&#39;s the reason why we will not just start selling camer- as that complement our phones; we will make functional and val- ue-added solutions that are easy to choose and use.” The name of the new solutions is Konftel Collaboration, with the appendix Small, Medium or Large, designed for different size meetings. All packages include conference phones, cameras, and hubs to enable one cable

and use the right solution for everyone without being tech savvy. That’s really important to us and it’s simple for both our customers and partners.” Initially the collaboration packages will make use of two high-performance conference camera models. Konftel Cam20 sends a crisp, clear video image in ultra 4K HD resolution. The 120° wide field of view makes it ideal in the small huddle room, to make sure everyone fits in the picture when close to the camera. The Konftel Cam40 is a full blood PTZ conference camera with 1080p/60fps HD video image.

Under the TEOS family, this new suite of solutions will be available as part of a solutions package for all corporate com- munication needs including: TEOS Connect which enables employees in the corporate en- vironment to instantly mirror content wirelessly from laptops to BRAVIA Professional Displays to enjoy smoother and more fo- cused meetings, without the need for a hardware receiver.It is available separately from TEOS Manage and will enable simple content sharing for organisations within both large meeting rooms and small huddle spaces for intu- itive smart working. TEOS Book – As part of the wider TEOS Manage offering, this additional service enables